Online marketers are seeing a steady drop in their ROI from traditional marketing techniques like Paid Search, Display Advertising and Affiliate Marketing. The reasons: an increasing cost of paid-search keywords, selective search filtering by companies, excessive advertisements on web pages etc.

Such a trend is forcing online marketers to look for other avenues to reach customers successfully in a cost-effective manner. As the adage goes, "Word of Mouth" is the best marketing that a brand can ever have. Social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn provide a targeted way to spread the "word of mouth" to reach out to customers and their connections. In particular, Social Networks

• Provide a better channel to reach customers and develop a more trusted relationship
• Expand the customer reach through connections of users and his communities
• Enable involvement with the brand on an ongoing basis
• Influence a customer more effectively, as the recommendation is from a "Friend" rather than an unknown "Expert"

Modern web technology provides many ways in which users and enterprises can collaborate for mutual benefits. A social network is based on this principle of mutual benefit and trust between users. Enterprises can use this mutual collaboration platform to increase the awareness of a product, promotion or simply spread the trust on a brand from one user to another. Enterprises can achieve this by providing users with ability to inform people in their network about an experience with a product or a brand. Such an ability can be extended to general users by allowing them to

• Add Widgets on their profiles in different social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace etc. These widgets can be provided by the enterprise and should be added to the user's profile by a simple click of mouse button
• Link their own Website or Blogs with the social networking sites
• Recommend a product to different connections on their networking sites in an easy user friendly manner
• Accumulate and redeem points that are gained by transactions done by them and people from their network
• Showcase customers' contribution to other social causes driven by companies. For example if part of the revenue from a promotion is donated to the Care, then a customer can see their contribution based on transactions done by them and people from their network

Inkriti Social Marketing Solutions

 With Inkriti's Social Marketing Solution companies can

• Increase traffic to their site by creating intelligent widgets that can be placed on the popular social networking websites having over 60 Millions active users. A well planned widget can drive traffic to company's website.
• Achieve Network Virality by providing innovative and trusted way to let users spread the word among their friends. With a simple opt-in, customers can choose to share their shopping experiences with the company, reviews a product, purchase a product, or add an item to their wishlist. Instantaneously these information can be shared with all of their friends, on these social networks. It can also provide access to a wealth of demographic data about company's audience (sex, age, interests, hobbies, etc.). This information can be leveraged for future targeted and personalized online marketing campaigns.
• Facilitate Social-awareness programs among their customers. Companies can promote different social programs run by them to their customers. Customers can see their share of contribution in such initiatives. The customer can share this information with their friends or publish it on their blogs or websites.
• Increase Search Engine Ranking in a cost-effective manner. Inkriti can help companies to intelligently put touchpoints on their website that enable the website users to post easily onto their blogs and forums.